Writing in a Nutshell

Revised 2019 Edition

In Writing in a Nutshell: Writing Workshops to Improve Your Craft, writer, editor, and publisher, Jessica Bell, guides writers through a variety of “before” and “after” writing examples demonstrating the transition from weak to strong writing, and encourages them to follow her example through clear and simple self-teaching steps.

In Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott says a writer needs to focus on short assignments to avoid feeling overwhelmed. She refers to the one-inch picture frame on her desk and how it reminds her to focus on bite-sized pieces of the whole story. If you focus on one small thing at a time, the story will eventually come together to create a whole. The same applies to learning how to write. If writers focus on one aspect of the craft at a time, the process will seem less daunting, and piece by piece, it will come together.

Not only is Writing in a Nutshell: Writing Workshops to Improve Your Craft an excellent addition to any creative writing course, but it’s also a great primary learning tool for aspiring writers, and a great booster for more experienced writers to use to hone their craft.

NOTE: This book is also broken down into three separate workbooks (available to purchase separately) should writers not need practice in all areas: Show & Tell in a Nutshell: Demonstrated Transitions from Telling to Showing; Adverbs & Clichés in a Nutshell: Demonstrated Subversions of Adverbs & Clichés into Gourmet Imagery; and The Six Senses in a Nutshell: Demonstrated Transitions from Bleak to Bold Narrative.